Newborn puppy help?

[DDBsR4Me]

I'm glad they are all doing so well!

 

[Robtouw]

Some pet stores carry snugglesafes, they are round disks the size of a frisbee that you microwave and they stay warm for 10+ hours. I have them for my barn cats, I place them in their houses at night and they keep them warm all night. They love them! I have always used them with my pups for the first few days as well.

 

[RxGoforth]

Ok have not been on. Nikki is a horrible mom. Been studying and in contact with a breeder. He says you have a 50/50 shot with a mastiff as far as being a good mom and being awful. I am working 6am-5pm with four 15 minute breaks were I haul ass home to feed another fading pup and administer antibiotics to the other 7. Have been to the vet 5 times in the past 3 days. We have no idea what is wrong distemper tests are not 100% accurate so right now it's a guessing game and the only option is hydration because as you know there is no treatment for distemper. Only the mother's vaccinations. Which she had. That was the first thing I did when I rescued them. As it stands now. All 4 might have had it. Even the one thought to have been smashed. Trooper is completely fine but if it is distemper it could present itself later so he will be with us forever and now so will Little Nikki. The three massive males continue to thrive and have tripled in weight since birth they now weigh 4 pounds with only Nikki's milk, no supplemental feeding. The other 5 are gaining but mere ounces. Will keep you posted. Honestly now I wish I would have aborted the pregnancy. Lesson learned.

 

[RxGoforth]

Ok. I am done freaking out about the what ifs. I just found another vet in town and spent a half hour on the phone with their vet tech. SHE HAS NEOS! She will be the one taking care of little nikki exclusively. This vet I was using had me thinking my pups were going to die off one by one due to distemper. I guess she realized I would spare no expense for my dogs. Bitch. It is what it is. The smaller ones are eating less and getting colder. Me leaving them alone this young to go to work is to blame. Taking the pup in for iv fluids because unlike trooper she refuses the bottle and I can't risk getting it in her lungs. I need to breathe and relax and thank god this many pups survived at all. Their eyes are starting to open and a couple are basically walking around already. Cute little boogers.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Yah, the right vet makes a difference.

And yes they are adorable. Just wait till they're all running around chewing on your furniture

 

[RxGoforth]

I loved my vet in the city. She was just too far from here for emergencies. Thought since the move and getting Zeus and Nikki finding a new vet here would be ok. I don't know if Litte Nikki will make it or not, but everyone else is ok. Trooper is a miracle so hopefully the same outcome. My heart is aching from the pups we have already lost. I feel so guilty as if I had stuck them in the freezer personally.

 

[raechiemay]

I'm so sorry you're having to go through all of this. My heart breaks just reading your posts. Did Nikki have litters previously before you rescued her?

 

[RxGoforth]

Yes she did. The jerks we got the from said she didn't. As soon as we got to Texas to pick thm up we realized that and everything else was a lie. With all that has happened my hubby thinks the people were trying to byb and kept losing pups because Nikki is bad at motherhood. So Zeus and Nikki probably tied up and they said hell with it put em on Craigslist and get something out of them. The timing on this litter is right and they were just that disgusting of human beings. We were planning on spaying Nik once we got her healthy and calm from the transition. The 2 would have never tied with us. And this whole ordeal is exactly why I have always rescued and never had in tact females. I don't have any problems with legitimate breeders though like most hard core rescuers. I guess because i'm a Mastiff person.

 

[RxGoforth]

On a more positive note....this is what happens when you let Gator suckle your chin. Yes that is my chin. I have a hickey from a puppy. Sad? Funny? I don't want to know. I am just glad it is not as purple as it was early this morning.

 

[raechiemay]

Lol!!

 

[DennasMom]

A Puppy hickey, I LOVE it!

If nothing else, when someone jumps on this forum thinking they want to breed their own litter, we can send them here to read first-hand that it's NOT easy to look after a new litter.

Good luck with everything. I wish I was closer and could help!

 

[mountainfila]

Sorry you are having to go through this but your first course of action should be getting a heat lamp to hang over the box and then the next would be to make sure that the big fat healthy ones eat last. The 5 that are not gaining may be due to the bigger ones sucking most of the milk out, i watched it happen with a couple of bigs ones i had, it doesnt take them long to drain most of it and move onto another nipple and if the other ones are smaller they are easily kicked off a tit and probably ending up with an empty one. Also if the pups are not getting enough warm milk they get cold on the inside as well. I know its hard with a fading pup but sometimes you can do everything to help the pup and it still dies, dont beat yourself up about it, just know that you did everything you possibly could .

Another thing you could try would be to tube feed the little one that is not sucking, i would get your vet to show you how to do it and how much formula to give. It could be the life saver for the little one .

But number 1 thing you need to get is a heat lamp, because when your at work how do you know the mom is laying with them and keeping them warm, thats the main killer of pups, they can not regulate their own body temperature for the first 2 weeks of life, they do not have the shiver reflex yet

 

[RxGoforth]

Dennasmom YES. We had no intention of ever having puppies ever. If anyone thinks they can handle this and would be fun WRONG. I do hope they read this. Sadly Mountainfila all lost pups were my fault. Nikki sucks at being a mom and I should have NEVER thought she was fine while I was at work becuase of her natural instincts. Only when we lost the first pup did I realize what the F was really up. After studying and googling and finding out even breeders end up taking care of their litters early on to ensure they all make it. I feel fortunate we have any alive honestly with my inexperience and lack of knowledge. I was never going to have puppies so this is all things I never read into. Now moreso than ever I am a firm believer in legitimate breeding and this litter wasn't even my fault. Mastiff newborns are for professionals only PERIOD (and people with free time I may or may not have a job Monday after calling in the past 2 days). Oh well family comes first.

---------- Post added at 01:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 PM ----------

Also mountainfila we took your advice on the lamp from your first post. We turned our closet into a dang whelping box and moved our clothes and stuff into the guest bedroom. We should have gotten 2 though for when the pups strayed to the other side. And I should have never, never, never, left them alone. We would have had them with us now if I had stayed home. Now the big boys eat last and they ALL have been getting cleaned by me since early wednesday. At night we keep Nikki out so she can't soak them while we sleep. I can't believe in all my infatuation with ems I never knew this stuff from reading at some point. I thought getting Nikkis ultrasound and pre and post pup checkups was enough and that Nikki had it covered. My ignorance was heartbreaking.

 

[RxGoforth]

Also mountainfila we took your advice on the lamp from your first post. We turned our closet into a dang whelping box and moved our clothes and stuff into the guest bedroom. We should have gotten 2 though for when the pups strayed to the other side. And I should have never, never, never, left them alone. We would have had them with us now if I had stayed home. Now the big boys eat last and they ALL have been getting cleaned by me since early wednesday. At night we keep Nikki out so she can't soak them while we sleep. I can't believe in all my infatuation with ems I never knew this stuff from reading at some point. I thought getting Nikkis ultrasound and pre and post pup checkups was enough and that Nikki had it covered. My ignorance was heartbreaking.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Don't feel to bad about your ignorance. Your vet should have made sure you were at least SOME better prepared when she told you Nikki was preggers. Heck, the only reason I know as much as I do is from reading forums and from doing a SOME research when it looked like I might end up temp foster for a pregnant bitch last year (didn't happen thankfully).

 

[RxGoforth]

I absolutely love the new vet. The vet tech raises neos and has had a couple of litters in her life. They are great. The pups do not have distemper. They weren't getting enough milk because of the strength and capacity the 3 monster pups have. That paired with the teperature drop this past and my inexperience are the cause. We are down to six pups, but will not lose anymore. Nikki even likes this vet and his people. They say she is a sweet heart boy does she have them fooled. The puppy hickey on my chin is almost gone they thought that was pretty hilarious. At the moment the 3 smaller ones are nursing and the 3 big boys are in bed with me snuggling. I don't think i'll leave this spot today. Puppy heaven. Even at 11 days old they already love human contact and just want to be held, snuggled, and talked to. It amazes me.

 

[ruthcatrin]

aaaawwww cuddly giant puppies!!

 

[RxGoforth]

Yes they are! Auggie is 4.2. Dozer is 4.1. Bear is 4 even. The rest are 2.3, 2.1, and lil Trooper is 1.8.

 

[Sadies Mom]

I would have to hire someone to do the work around the house. I know I would not get anything done. Puppy snuggles are THE BEST!!!

 

[RxGoforth]

It is going to be very hard letting them go. I had myself convinced there was something wrong with them and that they were all going to have to stay with me. My husband is relieved, but I have become VERY attached to Bear, Gator, and my lil Trooper. Eyese are not open yet, but when those 3 hear me they come crawlin. Trooper would starve if he slept with me as much as he wants to.